What are problems in disposing plastic?

Question

Plasitics has popular household application . However disposing after use is a common environmental problem . My question is why can't plastics be disposed of like a biodegradable / perishable material . What is it in case of plastics which makes them tough for degradation . Hence what are problems / environmental threts faced in disposing of plastics

Answer 1

there is a new type of plastic that is created from corn and is said to be biodegradable. There are some problems with it though, it takes a long time to break down and needs to be composted under specific conditions. Also if it gets mixed with regular plastic in recycling it can contaminate the regular plastic and make it unusable.

Answer 2

Plastics are made from crude oil. They do not biodegrade. Plastics can be recycled. The poblems there are finding a market where someone is willing to make something from them and then finding a market to sell it. Currently they are making carpets from recycled plastic, new containers, plastic wood that does not rot like wood, fencing, lawn chairs, toys, new fibers used for stuffing, and etc. It is illegal to put food into recycled plastics . The community that handles the recycling determines which ones it will recycle, that it can find markets for. The number on the bottom of plastic containers tells the type. Containers that have held car fluids are not recyclable

Answer 3

For something to be "biodegradable", some organism must be able to consume it. No known organism digests plastics. So plastic stays in the environment for a very long time. The only way for it to "disappear" is through oxidation. At normal temperatures and exposed to air, it can take thousands of years.

Answer 4

The don't break down quickly into other compounds. A piece of garbage will rot, get eaten by flies, and turn into compost. Try that with a plastic fork.

Answer 5

plastics contain harmful chemicals that are not eco-friendly.